BELGRADE, Dec 24 (Hina) - The new Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, has said that Croatia will respect the will of the electorate in Serbia regardless of who wins the forthcoming election.
BELGRADE, Dec 24 (Hina) - The new Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader,
has said that Croatia will respect the will of the electorate in
Serbia regardless of who wins the forthcoming election.#L#
"I never thought of intefering in the internal affairs of Serbia and
Montenegro, or Bosnia-Herzegovina or any other neighbouring country,"
Sanader told the Belgrade-based Beta news agency in an interview
published on Wednesday, adding that his desire was "to normalise
relations between Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro".
In its relations with Serbia and Montenegro, the new Croatian
government will give priority to humanitarian issues and the problem
of missing persons sought by both countries, he said.
Speaking of the borders, Sanader said the position of his government
was that the borders defined by the AVNOJ (Anti-Fascist Council of the
National Liberation of Yugoslavia) during the Second World War should
be respected, including the border along the Danube river.
"As far as the visa regime is concerned, with my approval the
government has extended the visa-free regime for another month in
order to make it possible for citizens to cross the border freely over
the Christmas and New Year holidays. I am personally in favour of this
issue being pursued in this way, but within the framework of overall
relations between Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro, primarily those
concerning borders, because we cannot discuss cancellation of visa
requirements without knowing where the border between us runs,"
Sanader said.
Sanader said that his government would study all relevant facts
relating to Croatia's lawsuit against Serbia and Montenegro before the
International Court of Justice in The Hague and would then make its
position public, because "at this moment it is too early to give any
precise answers".
(Hina) vm